By Alex Doorduyn, Director of Business Development, Security & Surveillance, Siklu Communication, the 2017 Platinum ‘ASTORS’ Award Winner for Best Wireless Broadband Solution
The smart cities movement in Europe and North America has grown considerably within the past few years, as more and more municipalities invest in their high bandwidth network infrastructure.
This smart cities trend has often times developed because of an initial safe cities initiative to deploy surveillance cameras in public space where large groups of people congregate for shopping, entertainment and sporting events.
All of these are now potential targets for terrorism.
Now city officials recognize the benefit of leveraging the same network infrastructure used to deploy public surveillance systems to also offer other beneficial solutions, such as intelligent lighting, sensors to help monitor and manage traffic and cameras that can monitor the cleanliness of a specific area.
In turn this development and the increase in public Wi-Fi hotspots and public safety cameras, along with the improved connectivity within public buildings such as schools and libraries, are expected to help fuel economic development and sustain a high quality of life.
The challenge is that with so many services relying on the city network, the network needs to provide enough capacity for all these services as well as to scale up in the future as more connected devices are added.
In addition, not every fiber network can easily and economically reach every location that needs connectivity.
Network setup based on millimeter wave systems provides steady multi-gigabit infrastructure cities can rely on, guarantee the throughput required for a virtually unlimited number of HD cameras, Wi-Fi backhaul and IoT sensors.
For those deploying a smart cities network infrastructure, it’s important to also future proof the system to ensure the size of the network and its reach can increase at a later date as needs change.
(Learn More from the author, Alex Doorduyn on Wireless Security Networks. Courtesy of Siklu and YouTube)
A few examples of safe cities projects, which in the future could develop into smart cities initiatives include Burnley Town Centre, which installed 18 high capacity point-to-point mmWave links from Siklu to deliver interference-free connectivity for 40 newly installed HD IP CCTV cameras.
In the City of Wichita, whose mmWave links connects 72 fixed bullet, dome and PTZ cameras to protect its Old Town district, its multi-gigabit capacity network can run multiple applications on the same wireless network simultaneously.
The city is currently looking at using Siklu mmWave wireless radios for other applications, such as local area network connectivity to city buildings.
For the City of Wichita, the cost to run fiber would have been too expensive. And interference free connectivity was also a priority.
In the future, the city hopes to expand the Siklu system to other areas of the city to help combat crime.
Dover Castle, an 11th century historic England site, recently invested in its high bandwidth network infrastructure.
(Ensign Communications worked with market-leading microwave bridge link manufacturers, Silku Communication, to provide English Heritage with a robust wireless LAN solution at their Dover Castle site. Courtesy of EnsignCommunications and YouTube)
As the largest castle in England, Dover Castle is popular with tourists and sought improvements in its network connectivity to support a number of additional concessions throughout the site.
Having to support POS data, internet delivery with public access Wi-Fi, CCTV and corporate LAN extension, they needed a high capacity, robust and perhaps more critically, a small form factor radio link given the limitation of mounting equipment on a historic England site.
A number of Siklu EH-600TX™ links are dotted around the castle grounds, most with a camouflage vinyl wrap to ensure the radios blend in with their surroundings.
Around the world, many large cities have begun to invest in a high bandwidth network infrastructure to support more smart city initiatives.
This includes London, San Francisco and Singapore, who are considered to have the most advanced initiatives because they include smart grid technologies, the use of information technology to improve traffic, Wi-Fi access points and smartphone penetration, according to an article by the Internet of Things Institute.
These multiple solutions and services can now sit on the same network, thanks to higher bandwidth, better connectivity options and interference free solutions, available with millimeter wave wireless.
Today there is an increasing acceptance of Siklu’s mmWave technology and people are starting to recognize the benefits our solution provides when compared with installing new fiber or a traditional Wi-Fi-based wireless infrastructure network.
Siklu recently introduced a new solution called MultiHaul™, which uses beam forming technology within a point-to-multipoint network topology which simplifies installation immensely.
The solution’s 90-degree scanning antenna auto-aligns multiple terminal units from a single base unit, serving multiple locations while reducing installation times and the total cost of ownership for end users.
Technologies like this will help make smart cities possible because the networks are becoming easier to install, cost less and the radio frequency being used for these devices is located on an interference-free spectrum, all while providing multi-gigabit capacity to enable the network to grow with the needs of the city.
Thanks to improvements in high bandwidth network infrastructures, the possibilities for smart cities are endless.
Only the future will tell which technologies and initiatives will develop over the coming years.
The 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Program
American Security Today’s 2017 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Awards Presentation Luncheon at ISC East was an overwhelming success, with distinguished guests from National, State and Local Governments, and Industry Leading Corporate Executives from companies allied to Government.
Over 100 professionals gathered from across North America and the Middle East to be honored from disciplines across the Security Industry in their respective fields which included:
- The Department of Homeland Security
- The Department of Justice
- The Security Exchange Commission
- State and Municipal Law Enforcement Agencies, and
- Leaders in Private Security
Recognized for their Innovative Training and Education Programs, Outstanding Product Development Achievements and Exciting New Technologies to address the growing Homeland Security Threats our Nation is facing.
American Security Today was formed after careful reflection of 9/11 and its aftermath when the Department of Homeland Security was established and there was an immediate explosion of new products and solutions for what was perceived as an imminent second attack on primary targets in the United States.
As time moved forward from 9/11 itself and in recent years, the threats to our nation have evolved from a large scale 9/11 type attack to:
- Domestic and International Terrorist Attacks carried out by ‘lone wolves’ and coordinated individuals
- Cybersecurity breach attacks against our government agencies, financial institutions and critical infrastructure facilities
- Unprecedented urban violence
- Cultural shifts and societal media bias, which make it increasingly difficult to secure our nation in this constantly evolving threat environment.
These current circumstances have put forward another rapid expansion of new ideas, products and solutions to combat these ever changing challenges.
These changes have called for a new generation of security experts in the Homeland Security and Public Safety fields who need real time knowledge of our ever growing threats.
These experts include the Government at the Federal, State and Local levels as well as from Private Firms specializing in Physical Security, Port Security, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Military and Private Security responsible for implementing coordinated security measures to ensure our Nation’s Security and improve Public Safety.
Together, each of these entities work together seamlessly on the front lines of protecting our communities, to ‘Keep our Nation Secure, One City at a Time.’
AST focuses on Homeland Security and Public Safety Breaking News, the Newest Initiatives and Hottest Technologies in Physical & IT Security, essential to meeting today’s growing security challenges.
To highlight the tremendous accomplishments of agencies and firms receiving this prestigious award, be on the the lookout for American Security Today’s Annual December ‘ASTORS’ Champions Edition – ‘Year in Review.’
Siklu delivers multi-gigabit fiber-like wireless connectivity in urban, suburban and rural areas.
Operating in the millimeter wave bands, its wireless solutions are used by leading service providers and smart city projects worldwide.
Thousands of carrier grade systems are delivering interference-free performance world-wide.
Easily installed on street-fixtures or rooftops, the price-competitive radios have proved to be ideal for networks requiring fast and simple deployment of secure, fiber-like and future-proof connectivity.
